Why the Heart of Illinois United Way is a Good Investment

The Heart of Illinois United Way (HOIUW) constantly works to ensure that all members of our community have access to the basic building blocks of a safe and stable life: education, financial stability and health. For every dollar raised, 89 cents is invested in vital health and human care programs that help people in need.

HOIUW serves six counties throughout central Illinois: Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford. By bringing together area leaders from business, labor, government, health, and human services, HOIUW is able to fulfill its mission: to increase the organized capacity for people to care for one another.

Why support education, financial stability and health?

A quality education leads to employment, a stable job provides financial stability to support a family through retirement and a good health affects everyone’s quality of life at all ages.

For many individuals and families, these fundamentals are out of reach. When you give to the Heart of Illinois United Way, you’re making them accessible to youth, adults and seniors. Your gift to HOIUW becomes the shortest distance between a charitable investment and a stronger, safer and healthier community.

About Your United Way…

HOIUW collaborates with 47 partner agencies through our Community Impact Fund to address critical needs. By funding more than 89 local health and human care programs and special initiatives, HOIUW is supporting services that are vital to the well-being of people throughout central Illinois. Each year, more than 100,000 people are taking steps to improve their education, financial stability and health by accessing the services of HOIUW funded programs.

As the largest nongovernmental funder of local health and human care programs, HOIUW’s fundraising and administrative costs are the lowest of any voluntary fundraising efforts in our community. The Better Business Bureau guidelines state that a fundraising organization can use up to 35 percent of their fundraising for administration and fundraising costs. At HOIUW, only 10 cents of each dollar pays for campaign expenses and year-round administration. These figures demonstrate how significant meeting the necessities of central Illinois is the Heart of Illinois United Way.

HOIUW Community Impact Fund

When you give to the HOIUW Community Impact Fund, you don’t have to choose between helping children learn to read or providing a senior with a warm meal. These needs, and hundreds of others, are addressed by the education, financial stability and health programs we fund.

Each year, approximately 75 volunteers review grants applying for funding from the Heart of Illinois United Way’s Community Impact Fund. These volunteers assure monitor financial and programmatic information, meet with agencies to discuss program results, and visit agencies to see program sites.

Heart of Illinois United Way evaluates requests for funding based on several pieces of criteria. One of the most important tools is the statistical trends illustrated in our Community Assessment (link). This ensures that the programs funded by HOIUW are making the greatest impact in the community. Other evaluation tools are based how well an agency and/or program is managed, if they have diverse funding sources, seek out opportunities for collaboration and provide successful client-based outcomes.

Supporting the HOIUW Annual Campaign

In 2017, the Heart of Illinois United Way campaign raised $11.1 million. HOIUW is a good investment because we build partnerships and leverage resources to make a difference in central Illinois.

HOIUW ensures your donation makes a positive, long-term impact on the critical health and human care needs of central Illinois. A donation to our Community Impact Fund is one of the easiest, most powerful ways to make a charitable investment in your community. It’s not just your single donation going to a single organization; your donation is combined with donations from thousands of donors to help improve lives.

We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people are healthy.

We hope that you will LIVE UNITED by supporting the annual Heart of Illinois United Way campaign.

Quick Links

About Heart of Illinois

The Heart of Illinois United Way brings together people from business, labor, government, health and human services to address community needs in Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell & Woodford Counties in Illinois.